Exercise Your Dog Indoors-Indoor Exercise for Dogs

There are many times when you just can’t get your dog outside for some exercise. The weather is too cold, it is pouring rain, or even in the summer it just might be too hot to take your dog outside for some exercise.

You need a plan to exercise your dog indoors. Dogs still need their daily exercise no matter what the weather brings, so here are some ideas for indoor exercise for dogs. It will help the day go faster for them, and hopeful keep them out of trouble from getting bored.

Here is how to keep your dog active in your home.

Use The Stairs For Exercising Your Dog

Provided you have stairs available to you and your dog doesn’t have joint pains, the stairs are a great way for your dog to get some really good exercise.

You can run the stairs up and down with your dog, and now you also have your workout done.

If you have a dog that likes playing fetch, you can throw something down the stairs and let your dog go retrieve the toy or ball and keep repeating until your dog is worn out. I used to have a Golden Retriever that would chase a tennis ball up and down the stairs for an hour.

Your dog will get the exercise they need, and they will love spending the time with you during your one on one game.

Play Chase With Your Dog

Dogs loved to be chased, that is why if you see two dogs playing together, they are usually chasing each other.

My dog never steals any of my things, but he is very quick to steal my sons gloves or balls. He knows that as soon as he has taken something, my son is going to run around and chase him, trying to get his stuff back. It is a great game for my dog.

If your dog has a favorite stuffed toy, or anything that is important to him, it is usually pretty easy to get them to run around with it and chase them trying to get the toy away from them. Your dog will love it, and you will be surprised how much fun you can have playing it with your dog as well.

Use A Dog Treadmill

There are a variety of treadmills that are available for dogs. It is a great way to provide an excellent cardio workout for your dog. Surprisingly most dogs really enjoy walking on a treadmill.

The benefits of offering your dog a treadmill for their exercise is you always have a way to exercise your dog no matter what the weather is doing, you can adjust the speed to give your dog what they can comfortably do, and when you are too tired from your day, you can still make sure your dog is getting what they need for exercise.

You can customize your dog’s workout plan to fit whatever shape your dog is in. A dog treadmill is also a great purchase if you have a dog that is a bit overweight and you are trying to get them to shed a few pounds.

If you have a smaller dog, less than 45 pounds, they might be able to use a treadmill for people, but if you have a larger dog, it is best to get a treadmill for dogs.

The track will be longer, which provides more safety for your dog when using the treadmill. Most dog treadmills also have sides on them to help keep your dog on the moving belt.

Take a look at what treadmills are available for dogs.

Play Keep Away From Your Dog

If you have someone else at home with you, you can play keep away with your dog. Choose a soft toy that they like playing with and toss it back and forth with your dog in the middle.

Make sure that your dog is able to snag the toy every few tosses, so they don’t get bored with the game. This is a great game to play with your dog not only for the physical activity it provides, but it is also a great mental game for your dog as well.

Interactive Toys For Your Dog

Interactive toys for your dog are great at providing mental stimulation, which all dogs need. There are also some really good interactive toys that will provide plenty of physical activity for your dog. Some will even toss a ball for your dog to fetch.

Take a look at some of the best interactive dog toys to keep your dog entertained.

Play Hide And Seek With Your Dog

This game probably works best if you have a child at home, because they also love playing hide-and-seek, but you can play the game with 2 adults and your dog.

Your dog can hide with someone, but they will have more fun being on the seeking team looking for whoever is missing. If the hiding person lets out a couple of small noises once they are hiding, it will help your dog get more excited about looking for whoever is hiding.

Do Some Training

When you can’t get outside, it might be a great time to work on some training with your dog. This could be something new that you have wanted to teach your dog, or maybe your dog needs a little refresher course on something that they haven’t been doing correctly.

Training is a great way for bonding with your dog, and it will also mentally tire your dog out.

Summary

Keeping your dog active daily is important for their health. At times the weather may not permit you to get outside with your dog and take them for a walk. That is when you need to have a plan in place for how your are going to exercise your dog indoors.

Indoor exercise for dogs can be fun for the entire family, and your dog will feel special being included in the activities in the house.

There are many ideas that I have provided you with to keep your dog active in your home, but if you truly want your dog to be getting real exercise, probably the stairs or the treadmill are the only indoor activities that will provide your dog with a real cardio workout.

The other games will be fun for you and your dog, will provide mild physical exercise, but they will provide some bonding time with your dog, and they will provide some mental stimulation for your dog. Have fun with whatever you choose to do with your dog.

 

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